Careers Service News

Alun Williams, Education Department gives his views on the job market.

Worst job market for a decade?
Young people face tough job prospects?
Recession burden falls on young shoulders?
Summer of job discontent lies ahead?

When school, college and university leavers see headlines like those above their initial reaction may well be why bother?

• Why bother putting in all those hours of study?
• Why bother sacrificing loss of income?
• Why bother acquiring a host of employability skills and qualifications only to find that you don’t get the chance to try them out?

This sense of frustration and disappointment is understandable but at the Careers Service we believe that the prospects are much brighter for Guernsey school leavers / graduates so, what are the grounds for optimism?

• Young people leaving education can be vulnerable to unemployment and not finding work. But, in Guernsey all the indicators are that our economy is surviving more robustly than elsewhere. If the island avoids the worst excesses of the recession, recruitment may be sustained at just a slightly lower rate than in previous years.
• The economy and employment opportunities will always be subject to boom times and periods when jobs are more difficult to come by. That means students can expect things to improve in the long term.
• In many ways the current situation is the norm. Over the past few years the job market has been really buoyant in Guernsey. But when you look at the usual transition from school or university to work that situation is exceptional. Ordinarily you would expect that when you start out on a career path, you would need to invest much time and effort in finding a job and even then, it can be a difficult and frustrating experience.
• School/ university leavers need to look at their employability in the long-term. That is not easy if you are struggling to find work but remember that your qualifications count. The better educated or trained then the greater the likelihood to find and retain quality employment.
• Guernsey is special and different. There are still job opportunities available locally and we believe that local employers take very seriously their community responsibilities. That means that they are continuing to offer jobs and career openings even if this isn’t necessarily in the company’s best financial interests. They do this to support local students.

By Alun Williams
Lifelong Learning Manager
Education Department